A Visit Every Day
by The Genius Mage
Summary: She promised to visit Roxas every day he was asleep, bringing a new seashell for him as she waited for him to wake up. Xion, Roxas, and Demyx friendship.


~*_A Visit Every Day*~_

"_Guess what happened today, Roxas?"_

Xion's eyes widened as she passed by Roxas's room and she heard voices. Not just anyone's voices, but _their_ voices. Xemnas and Saix, the untouchable, the powerful, those as cold and distant as the stars she occasionally got to see on missions.

But the stars deigned not to shine their light down on their dark realm.

The voices echoed eerily around the Castle That Never Was, bouncing off the walls and turning their flat voices into great echoes that rebounded so much it was like they were talking right beside her. The raven haired girl paused to listen. It appeared they had already finished their conversation and were now wrapping it up.

"If he does not awake, we can fall back on the failsafe." Xemnas intoned in his grave voice. This piqued Xion's curiosity, and she found herself wondering what that possibly was. Having only recently begun to participate vocally in things, she found it almost irresistible to ask her favorite question, "Why?"

Saix said something in his quieter voice that only echoed back to her as fragments. Realizing they were going to enter the corridor she was currently in, and not eager to be caught eavesdropping, Xion stepped back rapidly but quietly to hide behind a column of white stone. The faint scuffing of her shoes was drowned out by the heavier footfalls of the two senior members of the Organization.

Xion waited until their footsteps had faded, then another thirty seconds after that. She crept forward and after a moment's hesitation, opened Roxas's door.

His room was like hers, rather blank and featureless. The white invaded her senses, touching her with its frosty certainty and stinging light. A black Nobody symbol invaded in on the sea of ivory, looking looming and imposing despite the comfort and pride it should have inspired in the young girl to see the symbol of who she was.

Or _thought_ she was.

Xion moved her eyes to Roxas now, lying on top of his bed, covers underneath him. They had healed the wounds that must have inflicted his body, and the magical robe of the Organization had repaired any rips or tears. One hand was on his chest, the other by his side. Roxas's eyes were closed and his breathing was fitful and fast.

Wearily approaching him as if fearing he'd leap to his feet, she stopped by the side of his bed. She thought back to one of the fractured words Saix had said that managed to reach her ears.

_Coma, what's a coma?_

She took Roxas's hand, surprised by the cold that seemed to permeate his entire body. She pressed his hand into both of hers, as if hoping she could warm it up sufficiently for him to wake back up. She frowned, disliking what was going on, and still not entirely sure what a coma was, despite the obvious reason that it meant Roxas apparently wasn't waking up anytime soon.

_Who to ask…_

Xion wanted to ask someone what a coma was. Who could she talk to in the Organization without alerting suspicion to the fact she had been listening in on their leader and second in command's conversation?

One name came to mind, and with a regretful glance back at Roxas's prone figure, she left her friend behind.

~***~

The melody was soft but also strangely sad. It echoed the loudest in the Hall of Empty Melodies, which in reality wasn't far from a balcony near Demyx's room. Xion had succeeded in finding the sitar playing Nobody, and now she approached him cautiously, her hood pulled up as if to hide within its safe, comforting shadows.

Demyx was smiling slightly as he played his instrument, plucking each string carefully and seeming to _feel_ every vibration that he released from deep within. He looked up sharply, so unexpected that Xion took a step backward. She relaxed as his slight smile spread into a huge grin.

"Oh, it's you. Thought you were Larxene, but I keep forgetting she's not here now…" He trailed off, looking strangely depressed. His marine blue eyes were fixated on some point in the past, and the grin faded slightly. Suddenly it was back with a gusto, and Demyx continued from the same train of thought. "You don't talk to anyone 'cept Roxas I'm told, what's up?"

Xion nervously cleared her throat. She felt a clenching fear in her chest that she'd say something wrong and the next thing you know…"I was wondering, what's a coma?" She asked in a tiny voice just above a whisper.

Demyx blinked, confusion etched across his features. "I'm sorry? Pardon? A coma?"

When Xion nodded her head, her movements as quick as a scared bird's, the sitar player broke into a laughing fit.

"Xion, a coma is…Er…" He blinked again."A sort of…black out. Yeah. When you lose consciousness and…it sorta…" He scratched his head. "Sort of…you sort of don't wake up. For a while, or sometimes forever. But you're not dead…"

Noticing Xion's trembling form as she thought of Roxas, Demyx said hurriedly, "However, I'm certain if it's a Nobody in a coma, for example…That person will wake up, sooner or later."

Xion smiled in relief, but still she felt deathly afraid for Roxas.

"What made you ask?" Demyx said in a sing-song voice as he strummed his guitar again.

"…Roxas is in a coma."

"Oh. That." Demyx sighed. "He'll wake up. He's strong." The Nobody looked thoughtful, continuing to play an uninterrupted melody without looking and seemingly with little to no effort. "Tell you what; why don't we go out to Atlantica tomorrow? We can find a gift for him. We can go after mission time."

"O-okay." Xion gave him a grateful smile, but then she felt worried as he waved a finger at her.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast. I want something in return," he teased.

Xion waited nervously, but his ultimatum was easier than she expected.

"Take your hood off."

Xion had to double check the words before slowly removing her hood and flipping it back. Demyx's eyes touched her face curiously and she blushed for some reason, then the blonde Nobody just grinned.

"Hey, don't worry." He said cheerfully. "We'll find something. Oh…we'll stay on the land part of Atlantica, okay?"

"Land part?" Xion said blankly.

~***~

During her entire mission alone, Xion kept rushing through it. Heartless fell like flies before her Keyblade, and she raced through the setting light of Twilight Town, frantic not to keep Demyx waiting.

Returning to the Castle with top marks, she barely said a word to anyone, looking for Demyx as she hunted through the Castle's white hallways for him. She almost ran into Vexen, apologizing quickly and soothing his ego with some well placed praise, (it was the best way to avoid his icy wrath). She continued on before finding Demyx on a towering skyway not far from the Hall of Empty Melodies, his favorite spot.

The Nobody raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't tell me you rushed," he said. "No reason to." Another cheery smile and she relaxed just a bit. "Alright, let's head to Atlantica. Saix can't complain now that we're off the clock!"

He flicked his hand, causing a yawning portal to appear. The Darkness clawed feebly at the opening into the Light realm, and it almost went out. Demyx frowned, flexing his fingers again, and the portal stabilized with a hiss of pleasure. He gave her an apologetic smile, but she shrugged it off.

The cold, stinging Darkness was all too familiar now, but she still shivered as it dragged frozen tendrils across her face. The black reluctantly retreated, almost waving good bye as it closed behind her with a final whisper. Xion opened her eyes, and what she saw took her breath away.

The sky stretched far, far, _far_ into the distance, pure and strong and blue. It was like watching a lighter reflection of the roiling sea beneath it, and the ocean seemed all the more aqua due to the influence from above. Not a single cloud dotted the horizon, not unless you counted the flapping white seagulls that screeched and winged through the air, dancing their happy dance, pieces of fish caught in their sharp yellow beaks.

The waves pushed forward, and to Xion she saw strange shapes forming in the foam before they promptly vanished again. She stepped backward quickly, her feet almost slipping on the soft ivory sand, and ended up falling into Demyx's arms.

"What?" He sounded puzzled, lightly placing her back on her feet. Xion looked at the sea, and the noise sent a strange, familiar feeling straight to her chest where it lodged there.

"Nothing…" She was still too stunned to do anything. She watched Demyx walk along the coastline, and then directed her gaze farther up the sandy beach. She noticed it dipped slightly before rising into a thin dune that straightened out once more. A castle, beautiful and pale with waving banners was visible not far from their very location, and she fancied she saw horses leading carriages toward the great citadel.

Demyx was walking back toward her, a black blot on the sand. He paused now, grinning foolishly like usual, handing her a seashell. Xion took it, fingering the sturdy construct with its soft blue and white hue.

"For Roxas." She murmured, earning a nod from her new friend.

"Yeah, we can come here every day for a different seashell if you want."

Xion flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Demyx."

"Aw, it's nothing." He muttered, scratching his head.

~***~

Not much longer after Demyx took her back home and Xion raced to Roxas's bedside. The blonde Nobody decided not to accompany her, saying he didn't know Roxas as well as she did. So she paid her respects to Roxas, placing the seashell near his bed as a splash of bright colors to the bleak whiteness of his room.

She told him about her day, laughing quietly but sadly, wishing he'd wake up and that he wasn't in a coma. The twisting in her chest began again, and her throat was so sore, it felt like someone had torn into it with claws, leaving the flesh red and irritated.

She made a promise then, a small promise to herself that she kept in her heart, soul, and mind. She whispered the words to him, and she swore he stirred in his fitful sleep.

"I promise to visit you every day, Roxas. Until you wake up."

~***~

They had gotten to the beach early today, Demyx and Xion. The mission they had been assigned to do together was an easy recon job, and she gave a trill of laughter as he splashed her with water. She selected the seashell for Roxas today, a pale green specimen. Suddenly Demyx gave a yelp and walked toward her.

"My bad, Xion. Hold the shell to your ear, I completely forgot about that."

Xion was puzzled, but trusted Demyx enough now to do what he said. She placed it to her ear, and she heard the loud, echoing waves of the ocean from deep inside. When she blinked her eyes open again in wonder, she asked him if a tiny realm existed inside the shell.

"I wish," he said wistfully. "No, I don't think so. But if beings without hearts can exist, and evil shadows too, why not worlds in shells?"

Xion sat down, tucking the shell inside her robe carefully. She toyed with a stream of white powder from the beach around them and watched the sky. The clouds were hanging so low it was like the sea had captured them in its depths, and she could reach out to touch them if she wanted.

"Are there any stories about that castle?" Xion asked Demyx after the only sound for ten minutes was the waves. She pointed to the beautiful castle by the sea near them.

Demyx shrugged, following her gaze. "I suppose so. Some Prince Eric lives there, with his wife, Ariel."

"Sounds magical."

"The tale that surrounds them is," agreed the blonde Nobody. "Want to hear it? Sounds like a fairy tale…"

The unfamiliar words reached her ears, but she couldn't help a smile. "What's a fairy tale?"

"Oh, a special kind of story where anything and everything can happen," he chimed in return. "I know a lot. Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty…"

"Tell me a few?" Xion pleaded.

Demyx grinned. "Prince Eric's and Ariel's story is called 'The Little Mermaid'. It begins like…"

The two friends talked long into the day, with Xion's eyes wide with wonder as he continued his talk. Demyx would often pause to stroke his sitar to emphasize a few words, and she was certain she could almost feel a dancing magic around her with those two simple terms.

Fairy tale.

She had to admit, and she told him after the tale was complete, that she had two favorite parts to the story.

"What's that?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"I love 'Once Upon a Time'…and 'They lived happily ever after.'" She told him with a grin.

He laughed in return. "You know what, Xion? Me too."

~***~

"I had a wonderful day today, Roxas." Xion placed the seashell by his bedside, and she was grateful for the shells but at the same time hated their color, because they reminded her exactly how long he had been asleep. "Demyx told me another fairy tale."

She recited one of her new favorites to her sleeping friend, this one was called "Cinderella", and she tried to emphasize every word just like Demyx had earlier that day. When she had finished, she lightly touched her friend's face, sadness coloring her features.

"You know what they say, Roxas. I've told you so far, every fairy tale ends this way. And they all lived happily ever after."

~***~

_**I actually didn't know where to put this, but since Demyx and Xion is mostly the core of this story, I put it as such.**_

_**Xion goes on a mission after this to fight a Heartless…Those who haven't played the game don't know exactly why she didn't make it back in time before Roxas woke up, so I won't say more without spoiling it.**_

_**Want to drop a **_**review?**


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